


Red in a Bottle

by AxisMage



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Dick and redheads, Hair Dyeing, M/M, Redheaded Jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 19:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14551434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AxisMage/pseuds/AxisMage
Summary: Jason dyes his hair for the sake of a mission. He later remembers the effect things like that have on Dick





	Red in a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LorelainMichaelis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LorelainMichaelis/gifts).



> Dick has a problem with redheads. I have a problem with Dick having a problem with redheads(?)

The water ran down the drain in small pinkish rivulets. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. Wasn’t the water supposed to run down clear? Or was it supposed to come off redder? He had no idea. The box´s instructions didn’t cover this part. Maybe he should have listened to Alfred and let him do it instead of trying it himself, or at least should have called before getting his head under the water.

It was too late to do either anyway.

He gave his hair one last scrub, a couple of shakes, then turned the water off. He reached blindly for the towel and headed for the bathroom mirror. He dried his hair a couple of minutes before lowering the towel and raising his eyes to the mirror above the sink.

Huh. It looked better than he had expected. A whole lot better, actually. Even Alfred would be proud.

His lips pulled up into a small smile. He ran his fingers through his hair, satisfied with the dark red tint it had acquired. It matched the color on the box to an almost perfect degree. The dye had also been as strong as advertised, given the weird white lock above his forehead had also turned red. For now, at least. He didn’t know what the Lazarus Pit had done to that particular part of him, but he´d never been able to cover it up the couple of times he´d tried before, that is. Still, even with this particular hair dye, he could see the white roots.

He shrugged at his reflection and watched it do the same, then reached for the hair clipper. He took a couple of seconds to decide what to do with himself before turning it on and pressing it against his scalp.

He was watching his cut hair float down the sink when he heard the comm resting atop his leather jacket crackle to life. He waited a full three minutes before walking over to his jacket and picking up the comm.

“… an hour?” Tim´s voice was saying.

“The sooner the better. We already have the blueprints for the whole building, but we need to distribute them among you guys and discuss the plan before going there.” That was Barbara.

“Full house tonight, then?” Stephanie spoke.

“We´re still missing two people,” Dick said.

“Already on my way,” came Cass´s soft voice.

The line filled with silence, a bit of static.

“Mind opening that filthy mouth of yours, Hood?” Damian finally growled.

Jason rolled his eyes, checked the time on his phone. “You think I´m just waiting around hoping you and Daddy will extend an invitation for me to play with you every night, Robin?”

“Not at all. In fact, I would rather you didn’t show up at all tonight. We can handle this without you. I do not understand why Oracle insisted on even including you in this express debriefing.”

“Robin…” Dick began.

“Be there in fifteen,” Jason cut off with a grin before tuning the comm out of the conversation. He glanced at his phone screen once more. It was still relatively early, not even seven o´clock. He had enough time to help the others and still make it to his main mission later on. He´d do it to annoy Damian and maybe Tim, if nothing else.

He suited up and was sliding his last gun into its corresponding holster when the comm beeped in his ear again.

“We will all appreciate your help, regardless of the reason you decided to come,” Dick said.

“Don´t have a lot of time in my hands tonight, bluebird,” Jason answered as he headed for the window. “Better make this quick.”

“Got another thing on your hands?”

“Yeah. Let´s get this over as soon as possible.”

Dick hummed. “Need any help?”

Jason rolled his eyes, jumped down the emergency stairs and onto his bike. “Good to have you back in town, Nightwing.”

“I´ll be staying for a couple of days. Want to hang out after we´re done with work?”

“You still owe me a drink, so you bet your gorgeous ass I want to hang out later.”

Dick laughed. “See you in a bit, Hood.”

Jason was smiling as he cut the communication off.

 

`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.••.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.•

 

Jason would pick his own makeshift Bat-cave over Bruce´s any day. Sure, it wasn’t as fancy, or as modern, or as spacey, but it was _his_. Also, while the entrance to his Cave was also hidden, it was a hell of a lot easier to access than going through all the forests in the world to enter Bruce´s.

On second thought, he might need to look into that.

Everyone was already gathered around the holo blueprints of whatever building they were going to raid, and everyone already there with the exception of Bruce and Damian turned up to look at him as the bike slid next to the other vehicles.

“Only Tim missing? Can´t we go ahead and get this over with without him? I´m on a tight schedule tonight,” he said, walking to where they all stood. He reached up to take his helmet off. Damian opened his mouth to snap that he didn’t really have to be here, and neither did Drake, but the words died in his mouth when the helmet came off.

There was a collective gasp, followed by a long and surprised silence. Jason´s eyes flicked from Stephanie´s astonished expression to Bruce and Cass´s slightly wide-eyed looks.

Jason sighed. “Tight schedule,” he repeated, and made himself a space between Cass and Barbara. “Where do I need to be and what do you want me to do? I´ve got non-lethal rounds on me, so no need to give me a speech. Can we get a move on?”

 Silence, then Damian snickered. Barbara raised an eyebrow. “Can we say something about it, at least?”

“No.”

“You look ridiculous,” Damian said.

“Nice change,” Stephanie said with a laugh, and Cass gave him a tiny smile.

“Did you do it yourself?” Barbara wondered.

Jason gritted his teeth. “Anyone got anything _useful_ to say?”

There were no words. Instead, there was a whistle, one that echoed all through the cave and made heads turn. Jason did it last, and his own eyes widened when he saw Dick´s face, lips still pursed from the previous whistle. His pupils were bigger than they should be given the almost nonexistent light of the cave, and even in the semi darkness, Jason could make out the light pink tint on his cheeks.

Jason blinked, then frowned.

Oh. _Oh._ He´d forgotten about that little detail.

 

`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.••.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.•

 

“I must admit, I´ve never been happier to be back in town.”

Jason almost choked on his glass of disgustingly expensive champagne when Dick´s voice sounded in his ear. He managed to gulp down the liquid already inside his mouth and pressed the glass against his lips. “The hell are you doing here?” he said, barely whispering.

“I figured you´d need some help with… what is it this time? An auction?”

“Surprised you didn’t do your homework.”

“Babs managed to dig up something about human trafficking, the missing children of suburban families in Boston, an auction and this building, but not much else. You keep your cards way too close to your chest, Jason.”

Jason fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I´ve been dealing with this for months on my own, bluebird. I don’t need your help.”

“That´s not the only reason why I followed you after we finished with B. I admit I wasn’t expecting you to add makeup, contacts and… whatever it was you used to change your face overall. However, you still look handsome if you ask me.”

Jason gave the softest of snorts. He took a sip of his glass and aimed the fakest of smiles at the men who walked right in front of him. He moved from his spot next to the refreshment table and went for his table. Once he was sitting down, he raised the paddles he´d been given and pretended to study them.

“You´re here because you really have a fascination with redheads, just say it. You have a problem, since you´re hitting even on a dyed redhead,” he said, lips barely moving.

“I´ve hit on you as much as you´ve hit on me with or without the red hair. Congrats, though, it looks pretty darn natural.”

“And it turns you on.” It wasn’t even a question.

Silence. Then a soft and hoarse laugh. “Let´s wrap this up quick. I have plans for us both. Plans that involve the popcorn and the condoms I left somewhere in my overnight bag. Not in that particular order.” Dick hummed. “I made plans before coming into town, so yeah, I wanted you to wine, dine and fuck me before I even saw you today. Now I just want to speed things up a bit.”

Jason hid a laugh behind a cough. “Kinky bastard,” he muttered fondly.

Dick laughed again. However, when he spoke, his tone was serious and business-like: Nightwing´s tone. “I´ve got the perimeter covered. I´ll tell you when the truck with the kids arrives.”

“I´ll take care of the muscle and the rest of the assholes in here,” Jason answered.

“Remember…”

“No promises, bluebird.” Jason turned the comm off, prepared himself to face the two older men now walking toward him. Time to keep playing the sick and young drug lord he was pretending to be. Until he could blow their kneecaps off anyway. Their kneecaps, not their heads. Dick might change his mind about the popcorn and condoms if he upped his kill count that night.

 

`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.••.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.•

 

The sun was rising above the horizon by the time the cops finally shoved the last man and thug into the squad cars. Ambulances were all over the place. Calls were being made. Parents of the missing children were on their way or already there. Dick and Jason watched from the rooftop across the street, both of them too exhausted to do more than sit in silence next to each other. Jason was too tired to even move Dick´s head away from his shoulder. It had been harder than either of them anticipated. There had been at least two times as many children as Jason had thought, and even more hired muscle than Dick had first seen arrive at the building. They had all been better trained that expected too, given the gashes on both their suits, Jason´s torn jacket and Dick´s chipped escrima stick.

 

“Don’t really feel like popcorn anymore,” Dick mumbled as another ambulance pulled up and blankets were spread out among the victims.

“Me either,” Jason replied. The voice modulator on his helmet was broken, and his voice came out as real and tired as he felt.

Dick pressed his cheek against his shoulder. “We should head home and grab a few hours of sleep. Some food too.”

“Are you going back to the manor?”

“For now, yes. I left all my stuff there. But.” Dick lifted his head with difficulty, reached out a gloved hand and fiddled with the helmet until Jason sighed and unlatched it on his own. It fell to his side with a dry thud, followed by both of Dick´s gloves.

Jason stared at Dick´s tired eyes for a few seconds, then he saw a small smile appear, felt both long and slender hands tangle in his hair. “I need a kiss right now, and to do part of what I wanted since you stepped into the Cave.”

Jason rolled his eyes, but when Dick pressed their lips together he didn’t pull away. He cupped Dick´s chin between his hands and leaned into the kiss, using it as a metaphorical blanket. Kissing Dick Grayson always felt good, but right then it also felt comforting. Given the way Dick´s lips moved against his own and how his fingers tugged on his hair, Jason assumed it was comforting for him too.

Well, that and something else.

“You really like it, huh?” he asked when the kiss broke and Dick pressed their foreheads together instead. He stared at Dick´s closed eyes, saw the small and weak smile appear.

“You look really good, Jay,” was all Dick could reply.

Jason stayed quiet a couple of seconds, then sighed. “Tell you what, bluebird. Let´s get some sleep, then we´ll get some popcorn and you can fondle my hair all you want.”

Dick chuckled. “At your apartment?”

“Nope, we´re going to the movies.”

“How romantic of you, Jay.”

Jason shrugged. He would have preferred to stay home all day and sleep that mission off, but Dick didn’t visit Gotham often these days, and he didn’t like the way he was smiling right now, how desperately he´d clung to his hair. It wouldn’t have bothered him had it been another moment, another situation, but right then, Dick was a bit rattled at the very least. If they were going to enjoy his stay in Gotham – and if Jason was going to indulge him and his disturbingly comical kink for redheads – he knew they had to do more than crash at his apartment, get drunk and fuck.

Not that Dick needed to know any of that.

“See you at six in front of the cinema?”

“Why don’t you come pick me up at the manor in that bike of yours? Not Hood´s, your civilian bike.”

Jason snorted. “You looking to give the kid a heart attack and to come at me with his favorite katana to give me the talk? Again?”

“I want a picture of redheaded you driving up the road to the manor in your bike. The best backdrop for it is the manor´s driveway. And I want it to be perfect because I´m going to frame it and keep it on my bedside table.”

“You weird me the fuck out sometimes, bluebird. And last I recall, you already had a picture of me on your table.” Which Dick had taken one night at his apartment without him knowing. Jason still remembered the first time he saw it when a case took him to Bludhaven and hence to Dick´s apartment. To him, it had looked awful: Jason leaning against the couch, arms spread on the back of it, head thrown back and an ugly laugh coming from his mouth. He still believed he looked pathetic, and that had been a year ago. If Dick wanted this picture, at least it would look cooler and it would replace that first picture. Although knowing Dick, he´d probably just set them side by side.

It was still worth a shot, he thought with slight amusement as Dick put on his best smile and puppy-eyed look. It should have looked ridiculous, but it didn’t, and it worked like a charm.

“Fine. I´ll be there at five, but if you´re not ready I´m not waiting for you one second,” he said.

Dick combed his fingers through Jason´s hair again as he leaned in for a kiss. “Thanks, Jay.”

Jason was starting to think dying his hair permanently wasn’t as awful an idea as he´d first thought it a few days earlier.

 

`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.••.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.•

 

 A year ago, the fact Tim was standing next to Dick with his own phone and already laughing his ass off would have driven Jason mad with rage and embarrassment. He would have probably done something similar to what he´d done when Tim donned the Batman cowl all those years ago. Probably. He wasn’t as crazy… uh, _dramatic_ anymore.

Still, after he parked the bike in front of the two of them, instead of greeting Dick, the first thing he did was take Tim´s phone and raise an eyebrow. “You have like fifteen backups of everything you have in all your little technological gadgets, don’t you?”

Tim stared up at him, looking cautious, hints of regret showing on his upturned lips. “The picture´s already on the cloud.”

“First, I knew it. Second, fuck you.” And then Jason hurled the cell phone across the road. Straight to the biggest, sturdiest and oldest tree. The phone shattered as soon as it hid the bark, and the three of them watched as the little pieces fell to the grass below. Even if some of the pieces were intact, it would have been a bitch to get out of the grass.

Dick groaned, pressed his palm against his face. Tim was staring at the tree with a thoughtful expression.

“What do you think of this caption? Grease: the Remake. Staring bad-boy failed attempt Jason Todd and his low-quality match hair,” he said.

Jason tilted his chin forward. “Bring it.”

Dick groaned again.

“You´re going to regret that, Jason,” Tim interrupted, and without another word headed back into the manor.

Jason almost stuck his tongue out at Tim, then decided he better stick it somewhere else.

“´Afternoon, bluebird,” he said, turning towards Dick and leaning in to press their mouths together. Dick made a protesting noise, but soon enough his lips parted, his arms rose to wrap around Jason´s neck.

“At least that was one of his oldest phones,” Dick mumbled. “But make no mistake, you will regret it.”

Jason hummed. “And here I thought you wanted the picture because I actually looked badass.”

“Oh but you do, Jay. More than badass, I´d say.” Dick pressed even closer, bit Jason´s lower lip before kissing him again, his hands tangling in the red hairs at the nape of his neck. “I´m pretty sure the pictures he took were actually quite good, but he´ll end up photoshopping them into something funny for everyone to see.”

“A perk of being legally dead: no reason to fear the digital world.”

 “There is that, I suppose. Thanks for letting me take the picture.”

“You got lucky you managed to get in on the first try. Not that I´d go back to fake a shitty entrance if you hadn’t.”

Dick laughed, then pulled back and went for the bike. He slung his leg over it and settled on the driver´s seat. He held his hand out for the keys. “Hop on, Red. We´re going shopping. Not really though.”

This time, it was Jason who groaned. “Even I know that quote, and you just butchered it and misused it. Because of that alone, I´m choosing the movie,” he muttered as he settled in behind Dick and passed over the keys.

 

`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.••.¸¸.•´´¯`••._.•

 

The movie came and went without any incident, exhibitionist sex and/or spilled popcorn and drinks. Sure, about halfway through the movie the huge popcorn box was gone from Jason´s lap and instead a Dick Grayson sat there, leaning in for a short kiss that would eventually turn into a string of long, endless kisses that tasted like salt and butter. Hands wandered under their shirts, but Jason behaved, much to Dick´s frustration. They were still both fully dressed, aware of their surroundings and not humping each other by the time the ending credits appeared on screen and the lights were turned back on.

Dick decided to get a bit of revenge when they walked out of the theater. Jason suggested they get some dinner before heading home. Dick suggested they hit the nearby clubs, as he still owed Jason a drink and he felt like dancing.

Jason hated clubs. He also hated dancing, and he knew Dick knew he knew it. It was a challenge, or payback for not wanting to get naked in the theater. Dick could be really sneaky and mean sometimes. He expected Jason to bail.

Which is why Jason said yes, and two hours later, he was wondering how he´d managed to forget another small detail about Dick.

The guy was like a magnet.

Of course Jason had said no when Dick had asked him to dance. He was willing to go into the club and keep Dick a faraway company, but he was going to stay at the bar and order drinks for the both of them, serve as Dick´s chair whenever he decided to take a break from dancing and overall make sure no dude went and drugged his date.

So far nothing except the drinks had happened.

Jason eyed the bartender as she put away his third glass, or was it his fourth? That meant the one in his hand was his fifth, and he had to stop there or he wouldn’t be able to drive them back home.

His gaze went back to the dance floor. He finished his glass and asked for another because _fuck it_. With people pressing up and rubbing against Dick from all sides and Dick being himself by not pushing them away but not responding to them either, he needed more alcohol to not get up and drag Dick away from them. He knew Dick was a huge flirt, and he could admit to being one too on some occasions, but right then…

A buxom blonde got past Dick´s subtle but firm defenses, and soon enough her chest was pressed against his, her hands were tangling up in his hair, and for the second time that day, Jason thought about being the crazy shit he had once been.

He was on his feet and halfway across the dance floor before he even realized it. Several hands reached out to touch him, and he had to take a deep breath in not to react as his training told him to. As his own head told him to. No, tackling the idiots that touched him was not a good idea, throwing blondie across the club wasn’t a good idea either. Getting Dick out of the club, now that was one of the best ideas he´d ever had.

Dick saw him approach, and he gave Jason a toothy grin, leaning down to say something in blondie´s ear, which made her grip him tighter. Jason raised an eyebrow, and Dick let out a loud and free laugh, one that indicated that he´d already had one too many drinks.

Then Dick held out his hand, smile turning into something darker, a bit more intimate. Jason raised his other eyebrow, took the offered hand and soon found himself being pulled further into the dance floor and between the many people around him, the back of Dick´s body pressed against his own, their hands still together, all while Dick continued to dance.

“As I was saying,” Dick said, and let out a chuckle, eyes shining in the colored lights of the club when he threw his head back to look at Jason. “I already have a date. And I have a preference for redheads… with one exception.” Another chuckle, one last look at the blonde woman before twisting around in one fluid movement. “That´d be you, Red,” Dick concluded.

Jason was trying very hard to stay still as Dick´s arms snaked around his shoulders, as Dick continued to move, body swaying in time to the music, pressing against him in ways he hadn’t with anyone else before. Dick rolled his hips, moved his legs, used his hands to pull them closer, soft and warm breath smelling like alcohol and breathing against Jason´s nose.

“I think you´re delusional, bluebird. I´m a redhead too, for now anyway,” Jason said, half amused and half trying to wiggle away.

“Yes, and you look incredibly hot,” Dick conceded, raising his head and smiling. He leaned in for a kiss, moved his body a bit more aggressively when the beat of the song changed. “Hot,” he repeated with a slight slur. “Not that you weren’t hot before. Because you were. And what Tim said isn’t true. You aren’t a failed attempt of a bad boy. You can totally pull it off, even though you´re feathery soft deep down. But you know. Deep, deep, _deep_ down, ´cause I know for a fact, with hands, tongue and… and other things that you´re rock hard all over.”

Jason stifled a laugh, put his hands on Dick´s hips and after staying still a few more seconds he began moving too, thrusting his body against Dick´s, rolling his lips much slower, still managing to follow the music. “You´re babbling, bluebird.”

Dick clung tighter when Jason started moving, raising his face to kiss him, fingers raking through his hair with… Jason couldn’t put it any other way. It was… devotion?

“I´ve thought about it,” Dick went on. “But it´s not like I would have said anything. You´re perfect the way you are.” He pulled back a bit, pressed his palm against Jason´s cheek and shook his head, silencing an invisible protest. “No, no. Don´t start. Eve with the scars and everything else you say about yourself. You are perfect.”

“You´re getting corny, Dick, and it´s giving me the creeps. Come on, let´s get you a seat.”

It took a whole lot of convincing, wiggling around and Jason having to squeeze Dick´s ass not very gently before the latter finally decided to head back to the bar.

Dick was clingy, and the alcohol just made it worse, given Jason could feel hands under his jacket, under his shirt. He had the whole intention of sitting Dick down on the free stool he vacated after shoving some drunk man off of it, but Dick, damn him, was still lucid and fluid enough to push Jason onto it with a laugh.

“As I was saying,” Dick mumbled. He evaluated Jason´s position for a couple of seconds like it was the biggest mystery in the world, nodded to himself, then sat on his lap, straddling him and calling for the bartender.

Jason threw his head back and laughed. “As you were saying,” he echoed.

“Yes. As I was saying. You´re hot and I love coming into town to hang out with you. And to have sex with you.”

“And what you were thinking about was…?”

“That you´re even hotter as a redhead and I still have those condoms and I want you to fuck me and I want to pull on your hair and moan your name and then stare at you while you´re sleeping. Oh, and to pet your hair while you do that. Because did I already mention that you look so damn hot like this? Even though the white stripe is kind of showing already… Actually, _geez_ , Jay, it makes all this even better.” Dick laughed, ducked his head and pressed his lips against Jason´s throat, making him shiver.

“Like a fantasy come to life,” Dick concluded. “Did I already tell you I have the condoms in my…”

“Shut up,” Jason interrupted, and waved the bartender off when she finally got to where they were. He slid his hands across Dick´s back and down to his ass, gave a good squeeze.

“Want to head to the bathrooms at the back?” he said, hooking his finger under Dick´s chin and pulling up to kiss him. “Or do you want to take a chance on the bike?”

Dick froze for a second, his surprise almost palpable, and the he let out a moan. “Fuck you, Red. Bike. Now.”

Jason chuckled. “Fuck _you_ , bluebird.”

“Now.”

“Yeah, yeah, now.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Was it too OOC? All over the place? I really hope not xD. Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
